Thousands of Years: A Crystal Romance
by tsukirabbit
Summary: In their field of flowers they meet. In their field of flowers she asks him for a story and he provides one, though not the one she thought.


Thousands of Years: A Crystal Romance

He comes to her in her dreams. At least, she believes they are dreams.

In them they are always among white petaled roses, her favorites, and the faint breeze smells of strawberries far off. The sun is always shinning brilliantly in this place, _their_ place, as fictitious as it may be. Or is it make believe? Perhaps, Usa wonders, it is very real, but a distant, far off place that one day she and he may visit. _Together_.

She isn't such a Small Lady anymore, and she feels their time together is drawing nearer. Until that joyous time she has these wonderful dreams in which to see him. To be with him.

"I can't wait, Helios," she dances in the sunlight, her silk pink dress fluttering as she does. "I can't wait to introduce you to my guardians," she smiles as she thinks of them. Ceres. Vesta. Juno. Pallas. "They'll adore you." Her smile widens. "As I adore you."

Helios smiles back at her, gently. He is sitting among the flowers. He motions for her to cease her spinning and join him. She gently takes a seat beside him and entwines her hand with his. _Soon,_ she thinks_, I will really hold his hand. Soon, I just know it. _

"Tell me a story, Helios," she leans against his shoulder, her pink hair falling over him.

"About what, maiden?"

"About...love." Usa blushes as she speaks. She has felt this feeling for years now, but rarely had she said it. The word still seemed so foreign on her tongue. Recovering slightly, and relieved he didn't laugh at her, "Of destined lovers. Bound together by fate."

She knew the story well, of the Moon Princess and the Earth Prince who were forbidden to fraternize but did regardless of the risks. Of how they fell madly in love with one another and how their love both doomed and saved many kingdoms. They were, after all, her parents. Usa found herself never tiring of the story of Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion.

"Well...I can tell you of your mother and father," Helios began, "but I have something else in mind."

Raising her head from his shoulder she peered at him with curious red eyes. "Really? Is it a good one?" she grins, childlike innocence lively within her.

"Very good," he responds with a slight nod of his head.

Usa squeezes his hand tighter. "Then tell me."

"As you wish, maiden.

Once upon a time there lived a boy. He wasn't an average child, and he had many responsibilities weighed upon his small shoulders. He was as much a guardian as he was a healer as he was a warrior. All at a very young age, mind you. He was often lonely and rarely spoke to anyone, and when he did they were words of business. He knew not what it was like to have a childhood, even the word was foreign to him."

"This," Usa says with a frown, "is a very sad story."

"Give it time, maiden. Well, when he was no older than eight years he began dreaming. Now this, was very peculiar because, you see, the boy had never dreamed before. But here, now, he was. His dreams were always the same. Of a Princess in a far off space and time. With beautiful hair and unique eyes that shone like rubies. Though he was but eight at most, he knew this was love that he felt for this girl, but he had no idea who she was. She very well could have been a part of his lonely mind."

"But she wasn't, was she?" Usa asked with a small smile playing on her pink lips.

"No, she wasn't. Now, the young boy thought of nothing else in his free time but the fair girl in his dreams. He knew one day he would meet her, and he would be happy. He would know joy then. So he fretted over what he would say to her when given the chance. He just knew she had to be real, he prayed she was."

"And then what happened?"

"The boy grew older, wiser, maybe even a little bitter with loneliness. He still had not found his Princess. He was beginning to feel like he was destined to be alone forever. He almost resigned himself to this fate."

"Helios..." Usa bemoaned. She really wished this story would get happy very soon.

Not paying her any heed he continued on with his story. "Then, one day, he master came to him. He needed something from him, something only he could give. The master needed a binding ritual to be preformed between himself and his secret lover." Seeing Usa's eyes shine with sudden interest he added, "His _forbidden_, secret lover."

"So the boy was to marry off star crossed lovers?"

"Yes. You see the master trusted no one else to keep his secret. And so the boy agreed to preform the ceremony. He thought, if he could not find his love, then at least he could help those who had found their other half. The day came quickly when the boy was to wed the two. Upon meeting the master's intended he was blown away by her beauty and grace. She was other worldly, a divine being like he had never seen before. For a moment he felt his heart flutter in his chest at her gorgeousness, feeling a strange pull to her that he couldn't describe, but, it was only for a fleeting moment. This wasn't his one. It wasn't the Princess he dreamed about. Yet, he could not deny there was _something_ about her. So, without hesitation he wed them under the large willow tree and swore to keep their secret until the right time had come. At which time they would announce their union to the world."

"This is all awfully romantic for them, but I still feel bad for the boy," Usa said.

"Well, speaking of the boy, he couldn't help but notice the master's now wife kept gently putting her hand on her stomach, and couldn't ignore the loving touches his master would place so delicately there. You see, the woman was pregnant. And the boy didn't know why, but he felt an overwhelming sense of love for the unborn child. He had helped their parents marry, he would see to it that the child lived in a peaceful world and had sweet dreams at night. He would treat this child like a jewel..."

"The baby..." Usa spoke up, her eyes knowing, she was beginning to get where this story was going. "was his Princess, wasn't it?"

Helios nodded solemnly and Usa placed her hands over her mouth as she let out a small, giddy laugh. "I like this story very much!" she said brightly before turning back to him. "What happened next? Was he there when the baby was born? Did he get to hold her? Did he know it was his Princess for sure?"

"He knew long before the child was even born it was his Princess," Helios confirmed. "How he wasn't sure, but he just knew. It was why he had felt such an intense pull towards the pregnant mistress, because inside her lingered his destiny. And..."

"And...?"

"And before he got the chance to see the child be born, before he got the chance to watch her grow up into a lovely young woman, and long before he got the chance to tell her properly he loved her the silence glaive dropped."

At his words Usa visibly blanched. She knew what that meant. "But...but - " she struggled to find words for a moment. "But that is tragic!" she the whines incessantly like a small child. "So they all die? And they never even get to met? Helios this is an awful story, much worse than Romeo and Juliet. At least those two got to truly be in love if only for a little while."

Helios smiled kindly, "I didn't know my maiden was so versed in English literature." Continuing, "but you didn't let me finish."

"You mean there is more?" He nodded. "Then don't waste time. And I hope it gets more pleasant."

Laughing, "A millennium passes and the boy is reborn. More time passes, and the child gets her first chance at life as well. They find each other, quite on accident. He needs help and she needs a friend. They both benefit from their meeting almost immediately. The boy slowly but surely remembers it all, every last detail, but is afraid to say anything in fear he might frighten the girl, so he remains silent and hopes, **prays** that one day she will return his unending love. They speak often of dreams, her dreams, but they never venture into his. If they did he would have been forced to reveal just like so long ago they were all filled with images of her and only her."

"Does she? Does she return his love?"

"He never gets to find out. He is forced to leave her alone." Usa frowns yet again. "Only for a short time. In which time she grows, matures, becomes a beautiful young woman. When he returns to her in sorts he is very taken aback by her radiance. In their dream like meeting she reaches him in a flash, running across the etheral field they stand in and plants a chaste kiss on his now burning cheek. She tells him how she's missed him so and she has no intention on ever letting him go again - "

"Helios..."

"And he says _I know, maiden, I know_."

"_Helios_ - "

"And so they embrace under the sunlight. But he does not tell her, tell her they were destined to be long before they were even born, written in the stars in fact. After all, that's a story that has been said and done before, he knows."

"Helios..." Usa seems at a lost for words as she lets his story truly sink in. When she recovers she asks him with eyes brimming with unshed tears, "That's a true story, isn't it?" And he nods, slowly. "Helios?"

"Yes, maiden,"

"It's **our** story, isn't it?" Again he nods.

"Yes, it is ours."

Without a word she hugged Helios, now freely letting the tears flow from her eyes. He comforted her to the best of his ability, his hand on the small of her back, his other hand stroking her beautiful candy colored hair. "I knew I loved you," this time the word flowed so gracefully and unbidden from her lips that she did not blush, "And I knew we were meant to be, but I didn't know we were written like - "

"Like your mother and your father?" She pulls away from him. A shaky hand wiping the last few tears from off her face. Gently he presses his thumb affectionately against her cheek and she leans into the tender act. "Your mother and father aren't the only ones with a story fit to tell generations to come."

She smiles warmly, "I see that."

And when Usa awakes from her slumber she awakes with a large smile on her face. Her mood incredibly chipper that even her mother, Neo-Queen Serenity, asks what has gotten her in such a feeling. She simply smiles and tells her mother she had pleasant dreams the night before.

Though no one could recreate the Miracle Romance that came before her, Usa rather liked her Crystal Romance.

And he comes to her in the flesh then. Without a doubt she knows this is very much real.

End.

If you enjoyed, please review. Even if you didn't, please review anyway. Ha.


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